


Defining Utopia

by Flamefox2



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Backstory, Male Gemsona, Original Character Story, Prequel, gemsona
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-05 23:56:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6728473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flamefox2/pseuds/Flamefox2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She suddenly realized that what she was doing was absolutely ridiculous; pursuing this instinct left her with nothing to gain and everything to lose. It was best if she let sleeping Centipeedles lie.</p><p>So she told Pearl that she was sorry for putting her through so much possible danger, and she was sorry to herself that she pursued something so radically impossible. After all, it wasn’t as if the male Blue Diamond would spare her, right? He might have been the naïve version of her, but surely he retained some of that ruthlessness.</p><p>(But what about how his Pearls treated him, and how he treated them?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Defining Utopia

**Author's Note:**

> Please keep in mind that I wrote this at random. The beginning seems as if it takes place earlier than it should because I wanted to get this written down before I forgot about it, so sorry of that caused any confusion. ^^'
> 
> Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar, the genius woman.

It was then that she came to realize that he was alone for a reason. For starters, he was another Diamond. That much was obvious. And that wouldn't be a problem if he wasn't such a horribly  _misconstrued_  Diamond, planted in the earth backwards without knowledge or care, so close to the ground he ended up overcooking and came out much later than when he was planned to unearth. Then the issue with his quality--hazy and fogged up, like steam leaking from one of the ship's fuel pipes. It wasn't a pretty diamond, even if you polished it and Cut it down it still wouldn't raise in value.  

Second of all, he was the only Gem that identified as male. That much was obvious. In a system dominated entirely by female, masculinity pertaining to gender was strongly discouraged, and so most of those rare Gems would find themselves shattered simply for being  _male._  They brought problems, they brought conflict; surely it was better to break them when their purposes were yet unknown to themselves. Right? 

But the only reason he hadn't been shattered, despite his gem's flaws, was because he was a  _Diamond_. A figure of upstanding authority who, lawfully, would only be shattered only if they threatened the safety and security of the Gem society, as Red Diamond had, or if they committed acts of the highest treason. And, obviously, he had not done either of these two things, because if he did, he would be shattered. 

But maybe the only reason why he hadn't done either was because of his inability to fully comprehend... difficult thought processes. Much less retain it--his aloof nature, perhaps because of his hazy diamond, immediately crippled any sense of unease from him, because stars he was so naive and  _stupid_. And maybe Rose, on her own, shouldn't think that, but stars if she wouldn't at least  _think_  it, because it was universally known anyways that his idiotic tendencies tended to needlessly ramble in senseless riddles.

Although not allowed to express her irritation at being assigned such a flawed Gem, she could at least make a point in retaining her rebellious mind, couldn't she? 

But something in her softened when she saw him yelp with success over beating one of his special-made games. Something tugged at her lips when she saw his sister Gem brazenly assault him with mediocre questions that he'd usually respond to in kind with mediocre riddles. Something inside her felt sad, almost apologetic, as she watched him struggle to fit in to the female persona with a deep, vindictive (No, he was a naive Gem, a younger brother Gem to those who knew him best and popular gossip to the ones who didn't. No way he was vindictive--the idea was positively ludicrous) frown. 

(It didn't stop her instincts.) 

She suddenly realized one day that he was literally, absolutely no threat to Homeworld. Of course, there was that brief period of time in which the Great Diamond Authority attempted to figure out which Diamond would be effective--new or old; flawed or perfect. She remembered reading that the new had actually publicly offended the Diamonds--" _Called them Clods to their face_ ," she'd read with a bitter laugh--before proceeding to stumble off the stage to the disdain and humiliation of the Diamonds. But other than embarrassing them every now and again, what was to be gained by casting the loner to a lonely outcropping in the middle of a lonely nowhere? 

To keep him out of trouble, she almost concluded--and it made sense. He was like a kid, with the same childlike curiosity that got most kids into trouble, and if he stumbled across a secret, he wouldn't be able to hide it. In a way, she supposed, it was sadly fitting for the only male Gem in the universe to be stationed in the loneliest place imaginable, with the limited freedom of not being let outside of the facility or having the ability to speak to anyone that his sister Diamond didn't approve of. It made sense. But it didn't, because they could easily have kept him on Homeworld if they simply stationed more guards to follow him and keep a close eye on him, make sure he didn't touch anything he shouldn't. 

Pity struck in her gem, then, as she was hit by the magnitude of his isolation, and it hurt her more than she thought it would on the realization that he had absolutely no idea why he was really there, and would likely believe he was there to be kept safe when really he was a joke to Homeworld and likely always would be. He was a liability, that was all; but a liability made with power, an embarrassment made with influence. That was why they put him there; that was why he was set on the moon surrounded with the company of Pearls. 

(She tried so hard to justify it.) 

But something nagged at her in the back of her mind, and she wasn't able to pinpoint exactly  _what_  it was. Just that something with the story didn't settle right with her, or that there were parts to a certain piece of it that she was completely, entirely forgetting. It nagged in her mind and pestered her for a few days, before she realized--this was her intuition. It was telling her that she had to  _talk_  to him. And she knew enough  _about_ intuition to know to trust it. After all, wasn't that how battles were fought and won? Not by sheer luck, but by intuition and skill. She would follow it. She  _had_  to follow it. 

Yet she didn't know the specifics, only that she had to talk to him. 

(...Which, yes, technically  _was_  against the rules, unless used as a formality ("Excuse me, My Diamond"; "Yes, My Diamond"; "I'm sorry, My Diamond"), but he was understandably allowed special leave of the rules--because of his disability, not because he was a Diamond. Besides, it wasn't as if his sister Diamond had to know--she was away for planning, and the only way that she would find out is if he turned out to be as much of a tattle tale as he was a child.)

But first, she had to find out if she could trust this instinct, and that was why she had her own Pearl start sneaking about and gathering information. At first, of course, she was disgruntled by the fact, but after the reassurance that Rose would take the blame for it, she swiftly switched priorities and claimed that it would be her own fault. Rose loved her Pearl as one would love a determined little sister. It had taken a few days, but finally Pearl had a diagnosis, and when she saw Rose in her room, she seemed unsettled.

“You’re right, Rose,” she said once they’d settled down, sitting across from each other on their knees. “He isn’t what he puts himself up to be.”

Rose was about to question her on why, before she produced a holographic image from her gem. In it, the flawed Diamond stood on his feet, two of his own Pearls—his Yellow and Blue Pearls—surrounding him. It was impossible to tell the colors, because the hologram was a light blue, but she could tell who was there by the forms that the Pearls took. In his hand, a large cup, that held something that stuck out and had small, oval-shaped figures on it. He was feeling it in his fingers, and she almost dismissed it as a meager curiosity before she noticed the concentrated look on his face.

It was so unlike what she always saw him as—naïve and dumb—that it alone was enough to make her entirely confused.

“It’s not going to live in this atmosphere for very long,” he said. “Unlike Gems, it’s not able to adapt to its environment except over a period of millennia, and that obviously isn’t going to happen anytime soon.” The Pearls nodded sagely, looking pleased with him and proud. They stood upright, respectable and straight-backed, devoid of any shame or fear that most Gems forced their Pearls to suffer. “The moon of Planet Earth doesn’t have any carbon dioxide, which is what is required for it to photosynthesize; nor does it have hospitable soil or a dependable water source. While there is some sun, the plummeting temperature that happens once a month will kill it in an instant.”

“How did you get her to give it to you?” asked the Blue Pearl, wonder and bemusement in her voice. Her voice was a little faded, perhaps because Pearl wasn’t able to get close enough to listen closely. He glanced over at her for a moment before he smiled.

“It was easy, really. I think she already knows that it won’t live for very long, but saw no issue with me having one if it was going to die in a matter of days, anyways. Besides, at least now I get to know what a plant looks like.”

“Does it smell good?” asked the Yellow Pearl, taking a step forward and carefully taking it from his hands. He let her, a soft sort of smile on his face, and she lifted it up to her nose and inhaled. “It does,” she said quietly.

“How does it smell?” he questioned, gesturing towards the other, who accepted it and took a sniff, as well.

“…Fresh, I guess? It smells different from the moon’s dirt. Well, the dirt does. I don’t know how I can describe the smell of the plant itself.”

“It smells like earth,” he said, reaching a hand out to tenderly touch the leaves with an odd sort of fondness that Rose would soon realize she would never forget despite her current inability to understand. “It smells like the earth, and it smells like life. It’s alive, you know. They say that Earth is just another dead planet, but it’s alive.”

“What parts of it?” The Blue Pearl and Yellow Pearl both looked confused, genuinely curious; it shocked Rose how invested they were in this developing feature. Any other Diamond would have told them to stop being inquisitive because it was unbecoming and reflected badly on their part. But then, he wasn’t just any other Diamond, was he?

“All of it,” he said, merriment shining in his eyes. “Every last inch of planet Earth has something hospitable to it. Even the tepid lands, even the greenery, even the oceans. _Especially_ the oceans.” A certain fondness in that tone, and he chuckled before his smile faded and was replaced by a frown. “There’s life here, sentient like Gems. Organic life. Who would want to destroy it?”

The Pearls nodded sagely, agreeably, before the blue one’s gaze began wandering and she grew rigid, staring directly at the holograph’s source. “Sir,” she said, and he turned his head in the direction she was looking at, turning in a 90-degree angle. In this case, towards Rose, who observed sparingly.

“Oh,” he said, and that was where the transmission ended.

There was silence for a moment, in which Rose and Pearl stared at each other. After a moment, she finally broke the silence. “How long ago was this?”

“About an hour,” she admitted, gaze flickering to the side. “They pursued me for a while before giving up. I don’t know why, or what’s so important about what transpired, but… I haven’t seen them—or him—since.”

“Are you okay? Are you unhurt?”

She quirked a smile. “Don’t worry, Rose. I’m okay, don’t worry about me. But what do you think about the Diamond?”

“I think that more investigation needs to be made,” she said, then nodded her head in agreement with herself. “There’s only so much to be told with what you showed me. All I can tell from it is that he’s smarter than he gives off.”

Which was… curious, to say the least. Even Rose didn’t know what a ‘plant’ was or what it was doing on Earth, but it was obviously enough to hold his interest long enough to figure out its workings. And even though he seemed entirely focused, she had a feeling that it wasn’t the only subject he was curious about. And if he knew that much about the subject, then maybe— _maybe_ —he knew _much more_ than he was letting on. That, or her intuition was whispering gossip.

She supposed that it was decided, then, what she was going to do about this situation. In order to figure out what he knew and what kind of Gem he really was, she’d have to talk to him, face-to-face, and confront him about what Pearl had seen. But did the risks outweigh the benefits? If she was wrong and merely assuming what she had no entitlement to believe, Blue Diamond could find out, and then Rose would be ruthlessly shattered. But if she was right, then…

Then what? 

She suddenly realized that what she was doing was absolutely ridiculous; pursuing this instinct left her with nothing to gain and everything to lose. It was best if she let sleeping Centipeedles lie.

 

So she told Pearl that she was sorry for putting her through so much possible danger, and she was sorry to herself that she pursued something so radically impossible. After all, it wasn’t as if the male Blue Diamond would spare her, right? He might have been the naïve version of _her_ , but surely he retained some of that ruthlessness.

(But what about how his Pearls treated him, and how he treated _them?_ )

-◊-

_◊Rose Quartz F12L4 Cut 16LG_

_□After keeping a careful eye on you after discovering your Pearl at a classified location in which personal business was being conducted and finding that you did not report it, I’ve decided that you are deserving of my trust and request that you meet me the day after tomorrow at 2045 (during which time Blue Diamond will be conducting her daily business of overseeing the colonization of Earth) at a location that one of my spies will entrust to your Pearl tomorrow.□_

_Azure◊_

-◊-

**Author's Note:**

> This is a conception prologue to a story that I'm considering writing that's about a male Diamond who is viewed as a defect and is shunned by the majority of Gem society. If you're curious to read it, it's still under development, but I'll try to upload it as soon as possible on this website and on Fanfiction.net.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to leave any helpful commentary and criticism for a marshmallow writer. Don't worry about me biting, I encourage criticism. You can't improve yourself if you don't look for errors in what you love doing.


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